Characterizing Metal-Insulator-Transition (MIT) Phase Change Materials (PCM) for RF and DC Micro-switching Elements

摘要

Metal-insulator transition (MIT) phase-change materials (PCM) are material compounds that have the ability to be either conductors or insulators depending on external stimuli. A micromachined test structure for applying external electric fields across MIT wire segments was designed and fabricated. Using this novel test structure, Germanium Telluride (GeTe) and Vanadium Oxide (VO_x) were successfully transitioned from a conductor to an insulator. The resistivity of the GeTe wire segments increased three to five orders of magnitude with ~40V applied to the parallel plates of the test structure. The VO_x wires exhibited an order of magnitude transition in resistivity with ～20V applied. Characterization of both RF and DC switching performance of these MIT wire segments was completed and GeTe and VO_x appear to be viable materials for micro-switching.